The next day began… wrong there was no routine. No footsteps in the hallway. No food tray. No guards announcing themselves. Only silence—until the cell door burst open without warning.
Two armored soldiers stormed in. Not the usual ones.
They were dressed in **obsidian-colored armor**, and their eyes glowed faintly beneath their helmets.
That wasn't normal.
Kye stood automatically. "What now?"
Neither soldier spoke.
One grabbed his arm. The other bound his wrists behind his back, tighter than usual. Too tight.
Kye frowned. "Hey. I haven't even insulted anyone today."
Still nothing.
He was dragged from his cell.
This wasn't the same route as before. This hallway twisted downward, toward the **lower sanctum** beneath the imperial prison—a place **Kael** had never even been, as far as Kye's stolen memories told him.
Where were they taking him?
And why did the walls feel like they were humming?
---
They reached a tall bronze door.
It opened on its own.
The chamber beyond was circular, caged in with metallic walls that shimmered with **mirror-like runes**. Above, suspended in a lattice of floating orbs, were **floating reflective glass panels**—each facing downward.
Kye's instincts screamed:
**Someone's watching.**
He was shoved into the center of the room.
As the guards stepped back, the shackles snapped open and fell to the ground.
Kye blinked, rubbing his wrists. "Okay. Little rude, but thanks."
Then he heard it—another door opening across the chamber.
Footsteps. Slow. Confident.
And a boy entered.
Not much older than Kye.
His uniform was half-military, half-academy. Crimson gloves. Golden boots. A cloak with three small star-shaped pins attached near the collar.
**A noble.**
And judging by the smirk on his face?
**A monster in training.**
The boy stopped ten feet away and grinned.
"So this is the infamous Kael. Or whatever he's calling himself these days."
Kye stayed quiet.
The boy tilted his head. "You don't recognize me? I'm offended."
"No offense," Kye said. "I don't memorize punchable faces."
The boy's smile sharpened.
"My name is **Cairn Voss**. Third son of Duke Voss. Top-ranked flame channeler of the Outer Ring. And today, I'm your evaluation."
Kye blinked. "Wait—*this* is a test?"
Above, the floating mirrors flickered. Shadows moved behind them.
Observers.
"Not a test," Cairn said, raising a hand. "A **lesson**."
Suddenly, the air between them shimmered—and a blade of **red-hot energy** exploded into existence.
Kye's eyes widened.
No sword hilt. No sheath. Just **compressed heat** shaped like a weapon.
> **\[Paradox Alert: Hostile Intent Detected – Combat Mode Suggested]**
> **\[Ember Vein: Pressure Sync – 43%]**
> **Warning: Combatant possesses trained flame circuit. Defensive reaction required.]**
Kye stepped back. "Okay, wait. Are we seriously doing this? I haven't even learned spells yet."
"You don't need spells," Cairn sneered. "Just try not to *die* too fast."
And he charged.
---
**The first swing** came fast.
Kye ducked, barely missing the searing trail of fire that carved into the floor behind him.
He stumbled, rolled, and scrambled to his feet.
Cairn laughed. "Come on, Kael! You were supposed to be terrifying!"
Kye raised his hands. He could feel the Ember Vein surging under his skin—*but he didn't know how to use it like a weapon.*
Think. Think.
He remembered Velden's words: *You burn through instinct. Through will.*
So he focused.
Not on surviving.
On **striking back.**
He reached out, fingers slicing through the air—and yelled in his mind:
**Break his stance.**
> **\[Instinct Trigger: Ember Pulse – Disruption Flare]**
A burst of heat exploded from his hand—not fire, not light, but **pressure**. A wave of force that cracked the air like a hammer.
It hit Cairn square in the chest.
The noble staggered, footing thrown off, cloak whipping in the sudden blast.
Kye didn't wait.
He moved forward, grabbed a broken shard of stone from the floor—and **threw it.**
It smashed against Cairn's head, shattering the illusion of control on his smug face.
"Dirty move," Cairn spat, wiping blood from his brow.
"Learned it from you," Kye said. "You hit first."
Cairn raised both hands this time.
His flame blade dissolved—and in its place, a **ring of fire** circled his body, spinning faster and faster until it became a blur.
> **\[Alert: Spell Construct – Flame Barrage Ring Initiated]**
> **Warning: Incoming attack in 5 seconds]**
Kye braced.
But then something new flickered inside his chest. A voice—not the system's. Something buried deeper. A whisper of instinct.
> *"Flames do not only burn. They blind. They distract."*
Kye inhaled, closed his eyes for just one second—
—and **dropped low**.
Cairn's flame ring exploded outward—but Kye had already slid beneath the arc, **rushed forward**, and slammed his palm against Cairn's chest with everything he had.
> **\[Direct Ember Sync – 55% Surge]**
> **\[Ember Vein Unlocked: Counter-Surge Triggered]**
**BOOM.**
Cairn was thrown across the chamber.
He hit the mirrored wall hard, bounced off it, and crumpled to the ground—smoke rising from his chest, limbs twitching.
The flames died.
Silence returned.
---
Above, the observers behind the mirrored glass stood in stunned silence.
Even the Empress, who watched from a sealed chamber above, raised a single brow.
So…
The fake prince wasn't faking anymore.
---
**Kye stood alone**, shoulders heaving, body sore.
But he was still standing.
> **\[Paradox Update: Combat Evaluation – Passed.]**
> *"You may now burn. Let's see who gets scorched."*